In existing mobile devices, different implementations can have varying radio frequency front-end designs with varying numbers of components. These variations in design can produce different internal delays in a Radio Frequency (RF) receiver path. This internal delay can impact the accuracy of timing measurements obtained by a mobile device to support positioning of the mobile device. For example, measurements of a Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) to support Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) positioning may have reduced accuracy due to differences in RF internal delays for the different signals being measured in the case of, for example, inter-frequency signals.
In addition, coverage enhancement (CE) has been introduced by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) for Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless access to provide extended wireless coverage to mobile devices in remote locations/basements etc. With CE, improved RF sensitivity is achieved via added repetitions of transmission on both uplink and downlink. Hence, in scenarios where a mobile device attempts to obtain location measurements (e.g. RSTD measurements) in CE mode, the number of repetitions may impact (e.g. increase) the time taken for the mobile device to complete and send back the measurement results to a location server such as an Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC). This extra delay may result in a failure to locate the mobile device—e.g. if the overall delay in obtaining measurement results from a mobile device exceeds the required time to obtain a position for the mobile device.
Therefore, it would be desirable to improve the accuracy of positioning to mitigate or overcome the above effects.